We are a spirited and spiritual community of people whose lives are enriched by our connection to Judaism and to one another. For nearly 30 years, we've gathered in the eastern Sacramento valley to learn, celebrate, pray and grow together.

We are newly-weds and empty-nesters, toddlers and elders, doubters and the devout. We are the non-Jewish partners and the newcomers to Judaism; we're those revisiting the comfort of our childhood rituals and those searching for something that might have been missing since then.

Discover the artist within you at Temple Or Rishon's Annual School Fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 10th, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Join us for a unique evening of painting, dinner, and fun with friends as we raise funds for our incredible school programs. Enjoy Havdallah, Pasta Dinner, Wine, Painting, and Raffles. The cost is $40 per participant (10 and older) and $25 per participant (9 and under). Dinner only is $15. Contact the temple office by December 5th to reserve your spot @ (916) 988-4100 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Sponsorship opportunities are available.

Good Luck, Verde! We Will Miss You…

On Tuesday, November 1st, our beloved office manager, Verde Richardson, answered her last phone call for Temple Or Rishon. Verde’s kind and cheerful voice greeted us for 18 years when we called or came to visit the Synagogue. She was the author of our weekly bulletins, our monthly newsletters, and of flyers too numerous to count. During her eighteen year tenure, Verde shared in the joys of our births, our bar/bat mitzvahs, and our other simchas. She shared in the sorrow of our losses, and she provided able assistance to many generations of Rabbis. She was an organizational whiz and an absolute genius with generation after generation of copy machine. (And she was the best editor a webmaster could every ask for! Alan F.)

Our TOR family is grateful for her 18 years of service to our Congregation. We wish Verde the best of luck. We will miss her!

The beginning of the new Jewish year is also the beginning for this year's Adult Education program. There are many adult learning opportunties available this year and we hope you will join us. For a detailed catalog of learning opportunities, click here.

Next February 18 – March 2, 2017 (overlapping with the President’s Day holiday), Rabbi Rabishaw will lead an extraordinary TOR experience in Israel, introducing participants to the land and people of our Jewish homeland. This trip is designed to create a multi-generational Israeli experience for anyone looking to be inspired by the sights, sounds, and emotions that come with being in Israel. Click here to download all the important details, including the itinerary and pricing.

If you have questions, or would like more information, Rabbi Rabishaw is eager to speak with you, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Temple Or Rishon has a beautiful Tree of LIfe Plaque. This plaque provides an opportunity for us to honor special people in our lives and memories or to honor life cycle events such as Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. You can honor a loved one or celebrate a special event for a donation of $125 per leaf. The leaves are engraved locally and will be ready in only a few days. To purchase a Tree of LIfe leaf, please fill out our Tree of LIfe Form, enclose a check for $125, and mail it to the Temple Office.

Temple Or Rishon also has a beautiful Yahrzeit Memorial Wall in our Synagogue. Our Yahrzeit Memorial Wall provides an opportunity to remember those who have touched our lives but who are no longer with us. When you light a light on the memorial wall, you are rekindling the light of their spirit. Each plaque has its own light, and the light will be lit once on the Friday before the annual Yahrzeit and on Yom Kippur Day. Orders for reserved spaces on our Memorial Wall are now being taken. To purchase a Yahrzeit Memorial Wall Plaque, please fill our our Yahrzeit Memorial Wall Plaque form and mail it to the Temple Office.

Combined social, educational, religious and social action programs to create opportunities for the synagogue’s children to create lasting friendships.

Or Rishon Bar/Bat Mitzvahs

Molly Guerzon Bat Mitzvah

Cade and Cody DePeel Bnai Mitzvah

Jadon Wexler Bar Mitzvah

Molly Guerzon is celebrating her Bat Mitzvah on December 17th, 2016. Molly loves animals, wolves especially, and is a very talented artist. When she isn’t going to school or reading, she loves to ride horses and take care of Po, the pig, at Blackberry Creek Animal Farm Sanctuary. Molly is a great addition to the seventh grade class, always offering thoughtful opinions to class discussions. When she gets older, her goal is to be a published writer of fiction. We congratulate Molly as she becomes a Bat Mitzvah.

Hi! We are Cade and Cody DePeel. We are twins and live with our mom, dad, and older brother Joshua. We go to Gold River Discovery Center and just started the 8th grade. Our B'nai Mitzvah is October 29th. We enjoy playing video games, visiting civil war battlefields and traveling. In our spare time we like hanging out with our pets and watching Star Trek movies. We are excited about our upcoming B'nai Mitzvah and hope you can join us!

My name is Jadon Wexler. I live with my mom, dad, and my awesome brother Hunter. I go to Sutter Middle School in Folsom, California. Some of my hobbies include soccer, reading, and chess. I will be turning 13 on August 28th and my Bar Mitzvah is on the 10th of September. My Bar Mitzvah work has been challenging as well as time consuming in the middle of summer when there was a lot of fun stuff I'd rather be doing. Preparing for my Bar Mitzvah has made me discipline myself to achieve a big goal. After my Bar Mitzvah, I think I will feel a great sense of accomplishment. This perserverence will come in handy everywhere in my life, from school, my future career, and on the soccer field. I hope you will join me at my Bar Mitzvah!!!

Hava Havana

Rabbi Alan Rabishaw begins the celebration by celebrating Havdalah, the candle-lighting ceremony that marks the end of the Jewish sabbath and the beginning of the regular week.

Nora and Jim Newman, two members of the event steering committee and chief cooks of the authentic cuisine, garbed up for the event in front of a display put together by Rachel Wallace, a member of the coordinating team.

Carol Catanari, a former president of the synagogue, samples the home-cooked Cuban cuisine and other fine foods prepared by several area restaurants and donated as part of the fund-raising activities.

Among those attending were (from r.) Maida Simpson, who was born in Cuba, Synagogue President Doug Robins and his wife, Rhonda.

Gala Auctioneer Steve Polito prepares to gavel down one of the items in the live auction. Items ranged from designer purses to week-long vacations and gourmet meals prepared by congregants.

Congregants, including Nicki Wampold and Richard Ziman, battle it out during the auction – in this case for a limited number of gourmet dinners to be provided at Rabbi Alan and Laura Rabishaw’s home.

Debbie Nagano and Alan Friedman, another past president, take part in the silent auction that also helped raise funds to support the synagogue’s activities.

Congregation members chant the Havdalah prayer prior to extinguishing the candle.

Rabbi Alan Rabishaw begins the celebration by celebrating Havdalah, the candle-lighting ceremony that marks the end of the Jewish sabbath and the beginning of the regular week.

Nora and Jim Newman, two members of the event steering committee and chief cooks of the authentic cuisine, garbed up for the event in front of a display put together by Rachel Wallace, a member of the coordinating team.

Carol Catanari, a former president of the synagogue, samples the home-cooked Cuban cuisine and other fine foods prepared by several area restaurants and donated as part of the fund-raising activities.

Among those attending were (from r.) Maida Simpson, who was born in Cuba, Synagogue President Doug Robins and his wife, Rhonda.

Gala Auctioneer Steve Polito prepares to gavel down one of the items in the live auction. Items ranged from designer purses to week-long vacations and gourmet meals prepared by congregants.

Congregants, including Nicki Wampold and Richard Ziman, battle it out during the auction – in this case for a limited number of gourmet dinners to be provided at Rabbi Alan and Laura Rabishaw’s home.

Debbie Nagano and Alan Friedman, another past president, take part in the silent auction that also helped raise funds to support the synagogue’s activities.

Congregation members chant the Havdalah prayer prior to extinguishing the candle.